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Justice Dept. Leader Suggested Violating Court Orders, Whistle-Blower Says (NYT report with free link)
Emil Bove III, a Trump judicial nominee, voiced his intent to disobey court orders as others stonewalled and misled judges, according to a complaint.
Here is a free link to the NYT article
Link to tweet
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us/politics/justice-department-emil-bove-trump-deportations-reuveni.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RU8.km0o.B6sL3aIC3wni&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
A senior Justice Department official, Emil Bove III, told subordinates he was willing to ignore court orders to fulfill the president’s aggressive deportation campaign, according to a whistle-blower complaint by a department lawyer who has since been fired.
The account by the dismissed lawyer, Erez Reuveni, paints a disturbing portrait of his final three weeks on the front lines of the Trump administration’s legal efforts to ship immigrants overseas, often with little notice or recourse. In Mr. Reuveni’s telling, Mr. Bove discussed disregarding court orders, adding an expletive for emphasis, and other top law enforcement officials showed themselves ready to stonewall judges or lie to them to get their way.
Mr. Reuveni’s account, which was obtained by The New York Times, was filed to lawmakers and the Justice Department inspector general on Tuesday, just one day before Mr. Bove is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a nomination to a federal appeals court......
Mr. Bove “stressed to all in attendance that the planes needed to take off no matter what,” according to Mr. Reuveni’s account. Mr. Bove then broached “the possibility that a court order would enjoin those removals before they could be effectuated.”
“Bove stated that D.O.J. would need to consider telling the courts ‘fuck you’ and ignore any such order,” according to the account. “Mr. Reuveni perceived that others in the room looked stunned, and he observed awkward, nervous glances among people in the room. Silence overtook the room.”
Mr. Reuveni and others were “quickly ushered out of the room,” the account says. It continues, “Notwithstanding Bove’s directive, Mr. Reuveni left the meeting understanding that D.O.J. would tell D.H.S. to follow all court orders.”....
Mr. Reuveni’s account describes three instances in which senior Justice Department officials engaged in wrongdoing by ignoring court orders, presenting legal arguments with no basis in law, misrepresenting facts to the courts and, in one instance, directing him to misstate facts in violation of his “legal and ethical duties as an officer of the court.”
One of those cases involved the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act on March 15 to justify flying more than 100 Venezuelans the administration declared were gang members to CECOT, the El Salvador megaprison.
The account by the dismissed lawyer, Erez Reuveni, paints a disturbing portrait of his final three weeks on the front lines of the Trump administration’s legal efforts to ship immigrants overseas, often with little notice or recourse. In Mr. Reuveni’s telling, Mr. Bove discussed disregarding court orders, adding an expletive for emphasis, and other top law enforcement officials showed themselves ready to stonewall judges or lie to them to get their way.
Mr. Reuveni’s account, which was obtained by The New York Times, was filed to lawmakers and the Justice Department inspector general on Tuesday, just one day before Mr. Bove is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a nomination to a federal appeals court......
Mr. Bove “stressed to all in attendance that the planes needed to take off no matter what,” according to Mr. Reuveni’s account. Mr. Bove then broached “the possibility that a court order would enjoin those removals before they could be effectuated.”
“Bove stated that D.O.J. would need to consider telling the courts ‘fuck you’ and ignore any such order,” according to the account. “Mr. Reuveni perceived that others in the room looked stunned, and he observed awkward, nervous glances among people in the room. Silence overtook the room.”
Mr. Reuveni and others were “quickly ushered out of the room,” the account says. It continues, “Notwithstanding Bove’s directive, Mr. Reuveni left the meeting understanding that D.O.J. would tell D.H.S. to follow all court orders.”....
Mr. Reuveni’s account describes three instances in which senior Justice Department officials engaged in wrongdoing by ignoring court orders, presenting legal arguments with no basis in law, misrepresenting facts to the courts and, in one instance, directing him to misstate facts in violation of his “legal and ethical duties as an officer of the court.”
One of those cases involved the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act on March 15 to justify flying more than 100 Venezuelans the administration declared were gang members to CECOT, the El Salvador megaprison.
Bove needs to be held in contempt and not confirmed to be a judge